New Radar technology saving lives in disaster

With the Deadly earthquake in Nepal having decimated its capital and countryside, millions of dollars in aid and have flown into the Himalayan nation, including the latest radar technology designed to find survivors buried alive

One such device is the FINDER or Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response, which sends out low-powered microwave radar that can detect human heartbeats.

FINDER is a very low-powered radar that puts a low-powered radio signal towards the rubble, it illuminates it, then it looks for the reflections coming back. Now the rubble reflects the radio signals, as do humans who are trapped in the rubble.

FINDER fits into a pelican box which has two-feet tall, and a half wide, and about 10 inches. It works by pointing the face of the box at the rubble, and then the box emits the signals from Rubble

When the radar signals has come, data is collected and sent to a touch screen tablet. Where Rescuers can read measurements such as respiration. a heart rate and heartbeat of the Person

The New technology is from a joint-partnership by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s or NASA